Arkhipelag GULag 1918-1956
[The Gulag Archipelago, first published from 1973 to 1976]
– the author subtitles it “an experiment in literary (literally
“artistic” [khudozhestvennnoe]
investigation” – is one of those works occasionally thrown up by
Russian literature which is indeed sui generis. Part oral
history, part autobiography, part straight historical account and
part political and philosophical disquisition, its seven parts –
usually published in three large volumes – seek nothing less than
to fill a huge historical, moral and ideational gap, namely the
unvarnished story of the Soviet penal system and its …

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13848Archipelag GULag, 1918-19563Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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